


Sparks fly

by live_with_love



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Awkwardness, Canon-Typical Violence, Fist Fight, Getting Together, Kissing, M/M, implied parental homophbia, mentions of internalized homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-24 06:42:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17699525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/live_with_love/pseuds/live_with_love
Summary: Turns out Yosuke's weak to electricity in more ways than one. A revelation while dungeon crawling leaves him confused and aching, which is obviously all Kanji's fault! How is he supposed to navigate this awkwardness between them? What a pain in the ass.





	Sparks fly

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Moon_Blitz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moon_Blitz/gifts).



> Thank you for the excellent prompts, dear recip! It gave me a chance to play with a pairing I've been considering for years but never published fic for. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! 
> 
> The idea spawned from considering just how much of Kanji's dungeon seems geared specifically to exploit Yosuke's weaknesses. Yosuke is unimpressed.

“Sempai, no!”

Yosuke cringed back as the Shadow reared up, the air around them crackling with the intensity of the lightning heading towards him. He put up his hands to shield his face, barely registering the panicked shout from his left. The attack landed with its usual _boom_ and Yosuke flinched, instincts kicking in before realising that the pain hadn’t accompanied the sound, that his ears rang with a scream not of his own making.

He dropped his hands and stared at the stupid blonde who had dived in front of him. Crouched, down on one knee and trembling, Kanji had his arms spread wide to absorb the entirety of the Zionga strike. Transfixed, Yosuke watched the strong jaw contract with pain, teeth clenched against another, quieter groan that escaped him. The after-effects of the attacks they sustained in the TV world never seemed to last long, especially when helped along their way with a shower of Dia or two, but Kanji had borne the lightning for… what? For _him_? 

Yu broke the spell with a swift attack, Persona shuffling like always to target the Shadow’s weakness. Yosuke jumped at the sound, eyes widening as Kanji slumped forward, bewildered when the idiot’s laughter reached his ears. 

“What the hell, Kanji?” he demanded, stepping forward to grab a muscled shoulder none too gently, yanking Kanji around to face him. The surprise in blue eyes pricked uncomfortably at the guilt already twisting his gut. “I have plenty of energy left, it’s not like that was going to kill me!” Softer, Yosuke’s shoulders slumping down with a sigh; “Not like I haven’t been through this stupid place before.”

Kanji’s forehead wrinkled and Yosuke found it strange to be looking down at him for once. Why hadn’t Kanji gotten off his knees, dammit? Yosuke could feel the back of his neck heating up - from the steam in the sauna room, definitely. He let go of Kanji’s shoulder with a sudden, jerky motion, pulling his hand back as though he had touched the hot coals in the centre of the room. Those same blue eyes tracked his movement before Kanji shrugged and - finally - climbed back to his feet.

“You’re weak to electricity, sempai.” Yosuke opened his mouth to snap a retort but Kanji continued before he had the chance; “I’m not and it seemed like a smart decision so Yu-sempai could finish ‘em off.” Oh. Yosuke’s hand dropped to his side and he turned away to pick up the weapon he had discarded in his apparent rush to grab Kanji. Why had that felt like a kick to the gut? 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kanji’s hand rise to rub self-consciously at the back of his neck. “’Sides, I was the one who asked you guys to come back in here to train me up in the first place! Doesn’t seem fair to put you through those kinds of attacks, y’know? I don’ want you getting hurt.” 

Kanji’s words had been so soft that Yosuke struggled to hear them over the near constant drip of water, the hiss of steam. He blinked, sharing a startled look with Kanji before Yukiko was upon him, already scolding him for reckless behaviour. Yosuke watched the two of them argue, Kanji’s protests swallowed by Yukiko’s brisk admonishments and her even swifter Dia, grabbing both his shoulders to do it. He snorted faintly; the woman could make a wave of magical healing energy feel like a cold shower if she really wanted to.

A light hand on his shoulder made him jump, face flushing with a weird guilt that welled up from his chest - he could watch if he wanted to! Yosuke turned to meet the concerned gaze of his partner. Of course Yu could tell something had unsettled him, the guy was far too perceptive. Shrugging away from the touch, Yosuke flipped his knives from hand to hand to conceal the nervous energy in his core. “I’m fine. You should see to Kanji, really.” 

Yu smiled and Yosuke dropped his gaze to the knives, twirling one now, focusing on the spinning metal. 

“It’s nice to see you looking out for him again.”

The words that Yu left him with before walking across to the other two, quiet but no less sharp for their volume, stole Yosuke’s breath. He huffed out a laugh, shaking his head like a dog shaking off the rain, shaking out the thoughts that came with this place, that surrounded him in cloying heat. “I’m just…” Yosuke trailed off when he realised he didn’t have an answer to something that might not have even been an admonishment. Who knew with Yu. He stuck a smile on his face instead and barrelled on over to the group and past them, heading for the door. “C’mon! We all agreed to do some training while we wait for the next rainy night and we won’t get it standing around here talking!”

Yosuke could hear Kanji laughing as he brushed off Yu’s concern, heavy footsteps sounding on damp boards when he moved to follow Yosuke. The sound echoed, thumped through him like the beat of his heart, and Yosuke saw another Kanji in his mind, skin glittering with drops on condensation from the _Gods damned steam_. He grit his teeth and ran straight into the next black mass of a monster that he could find lurking.

_Fuck._

————

Yosuke threw himself down on his bed in a sulk of epic proportions, groaning as sore muscles screamed at him for his carelessness. He dragged his headphones up and over his ears, telling himself he winced at the pulling of his hair rather than the noise of his father laughing it up downstairs with his work buddies. The smell of alcohol had filled the house again and the music barely drowned out the poisonous mocking of the men downstairs, their laughter like the cawing of the crows that surrounded the town. 

If his father knew where he had been today, Yosuke wouldn’t have to worry about the Shadows finishing him off. 

He groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face, eyes closing against the weight of his exhaustion. They snapped open again seconds later as the image of Kanji down on his knees invaded his mind. Staring up at the dark ceiling, the beat of the music pounding in his ears, Yosuke scowled. He didn’t need _protecting_. He wasn’t _helpless_ and he definitely didn’t need someone like _Kanji_ -

Yosuke bit his tongue even if the words hadn’t actually spilt out of him this time.The song wound down, the notes fading against the background of his father’s voice. He didn’t bother resetting it, letting his exhaustion drag him down into an uneasy sleep filled with the hiss of steam and whispered words. His body ached.

_I much prefer… men._

_I- I really don’t swing that way!_

Yosuke’s face contorted and he rolled over, curling up into a tighter ball. Flashes of glistening muscle, blonde hair and a concerned expression that turned to hurt. He bit his lip.

_It’s just his Shadow… It’s going berserk the way the rest of ours did._

_**You shouldn’t lie to yourself, Yosuke. Haven’t we been through this?** _

Yosuke jumped awake with a gasp that drained his lungs of air, like he’d been punched in the gut. He lay in the darkness, trembling and staring holes in the wall before his face, ragged breaths shaking his shoulders. The new but intimately familiar voice echoed in his head, reverberated down his spine. Forcing his eyes shut again, Yosuke willed himself back to sleep, willed the flush to disappear from his cheeks.

Caught on the edge between awake and asleep, Yosuke’s defences failed to keep the image of Kanji from returning to his mind. Absent were the glowing eyes he had been dreaming of since the fight against Kanji’s Shadow, piercing blue now locking onto his own. The sense of power that filled him when the taller, stronger teen called him sempai, the way his lips moved around the word. 

A dream which would, in the morning, be dismissed as yet another nightmare. 

————

Kanji had been avoiding him since the disaster at the summer camp. Yosuke couldn’t blame him; his words had been pointed, aimed to hurt, and he had scored a critical hit. When Yu suggested taking another run at Maru Q to train Rise and Teddie’s newly developed powers, no-one had voiced any objections. Until Yu had looked right at Yosuke and asked him and Kanji to take a break while him, Yukiko, Chie and Teddie did a little exploring. A tactical move that made sense, but left him alone with Kanji in a room that smelled uncomfortably of perfume and strobed with lights that hurt his eyes. At least the steam had been good for his throat.

Yosuke stole another glance at Kanji, who stood with his arms folded against his chest, staring at the wall. He opened his mouth and then closed it again, wondering where to start - did he even have anything to apologise for? Kanji was the one who ran out and got himself into trouble, anyway!

“What material do you think those curtains are made of?” 

Kanji’s low voice interrupted Yosuke’s thoughts and left him staring like a fish hooked on a line. “Hu-Huh?”

“The curtains.” Kanji gestured to the decorations hanging on the wall. Yosuke squinted past the lights to look. “Velvet or some shit, y’know? You’d think that with the purpose of this place, they’d choose something…” He trailed off, a blush coming to his cheeks. Yosuke arched an eyebrow slightly at the angle of conversation. Kanji cleared his throat. “Nothin’, forget about it. Was a stupid question.”

At least Kanji had been trying to make conversation. Yosuke smiled weakly, the tension easing from his shoulders but the guilt pricking more intensely than before. “I’m not sure it’s a conscious choice, dude.”

Kanji nodded, acknowledging the comment, before they lapsed into silence once more. Yosuke counted the seconds in his head, wondering exactly how long Yu would be off exploring without them.

“So…” Kanji wasn’t looking at him as he spoke this time. “You, uh. Like this kind of stuff, sempai?”

“What stuff?” Maybe his voice was higher than usual. Kanji gestured at the curtains again, his voice low as he continued;

“This. You seemed very interested in Rise, I was just curious…”

Yosuke straightened himself up a little. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Did Kanji think he was being weird about it? He was one to talk! “Wouldn’t any normal guy be interested?” 

The moment the words left his mouth, Yosuke knew he had made a mistake. Kanji’s jaw clenched and he turned to face him, anger written across the lines of his face. 

“I’ve had just about enough of those comments, damn it!” Kanji roared and his voice made Yosuke shudder. His eyes flashed, anger pouring in to cover up for the guilt he felt at insulting Kanji yet again. Guy was just too sensitive!

“You’ve gotta stop reacting like that, then,” Yosuke growled, sticking his ground. “If you’ve got nothing to hide, you shouldn’t flip out!”

Kanji took a step closer but Yosuke didn’t back away, squaring himself up for a fight. Maybe that was what they needed, something men did - communicate with their fists. 

“I don’t have anything to hide.” Kanji spoke very quietly and the distant thump of music reminded Yosuke of nights hiding behind his headphones. “I know who I am - Yu-sempai and I talked about all of that shit. Seems to me like _you’re_ the one with the problem here!”

“You’re my problem!” Yosuke’s voice climbed higher again. He sized Kanji up, fingers clenching into trembling fists. The perfume made him dizzy, the hurt in Kanji’s eyes flooding him with feelings he didn’t want to name. “You and your stupid fucking steam filled Bathhouse! Where do you get off forcing me through that place, huh? You even realise how many damn times I got knocked down by the manifestations of your stupid head targeting me, you asshole?!”

The tirade seemed to give Kanji pause for thought, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Yosuke. “It wasn’t deliberate, sempai. I… I think?” Kanji looked so lost all of a sudden and it brought back that tightness in Yosuke’s chest. “What, do you want revenge for that or something?” His eyes had dropped to Yosuke’s tightly clenched fists and the colour returned to his face. “Well if you wanna throw down, you got it! But don’t expect me not to hit back!”

Did he want revenge? Something snapped in Yosuke at the thought. He let out a wordless yell and swung for Kanji’s stupid understanding face. The solid _thump_ of fist connecting to flesh echoed in the room with Yosuke’s sharp breaths. Time seemed to freeze for the briefest of moments, Kanji’s head snapping to the side. The bruising skin of his cheek pulsed warmth below Yosuke’s fingers. 

“Right.” The growl broke the silence seconds before Kanji’s fist landed in Yosuke’s stomach. He stumbled back with a choked gasp, widened eyes staring Kanji down, drinking in the sight of him flushed and tense, muscles bunching under his tank top. Revenge? No. Yosuke wanted his hands on Kanji and the thought terrified him. He snarled, something primal in the sound, and launched himself at Kanji.

The hit the ground hard, Yosuke rolling to stop Kanji putting himself on top. Yosuke’s hands grabbed for Kanji’s wrists, bony fingers gripping tight and feeling the pulse hammering against the beat of his own heart. They both knew Kanji could break the grip in a second if he really wanted to, both equally aware of the position as they stared at each other. A heartbeat of hesitation before both moved in unison, Yosuke’s head lowering and Kanji’s surging up, lips crashing together.

Months of pent-up frustration on both sides poured into the kiss, clumsy with inexperience but no less intense. The music surged, the beat of their hearts keeping time, drowning out the voice that wanted to tell Yosuke to stop. The ache in his stomach unknotted. He let Kanji take the lead, unfamiliar with kissing _anyone_ let alone another guy, but responding with eager swipes of his tongue when Kanji deepened it. 

He was breathless when they finally broke apart, Kanji’s head falling back to the floor with a quieter thump. A chuckle rumbled through Kanji’s chest and Yosuke’s eyes found those piercing blue, feeling flushed all the way down to his toes.

“Looks like you two finally worked through your differences.”

Yosuke yelped and rolled off Kanji, looking back to find Yu standing in the open doorway. Thank the Gods, the girls and Teddie weren’t standing there with him. Kanji’s chuckle broke into fully-fledged embarrassed laughter and Yosuke couldn’t help joining in despite the squirmy feeling threatening to overwhelm him. 

“Yu-Sempai, you’re a real bastard sometimes, you know that?” Kanji was rubbing at the bruise on his cheek. Yu smiled.

“Here to help.”

Yosuke snorted and sprawled out on his back. The Shadows could wait. 

“Screw you both.” Kanji and Yu laughed and Yosuke closed his eyes on the sound, shaking his head. His heart beat to a new tune, one he would need to explore. For now, in the warmth of his friend’s laughter, he didn’t need to think. Kanji’s fingers settled in his hair and Yosuke sighed, leaning into the touch. 

That was a problem for tomorrow.


End file.
